Monday, 24 October 2016

Learn from the Examiner's on How to Pass!

It's vital you make the most of these last few weeks before the exams
start. With this in mind, I am going to share with you the key points from the
latest SCS
Examiner's Report. Learning lessons
from those who mark and assess the exam themselves could be all the difference
between a pass and a fail this November. For every sitting I
analyse the report and to share the key findings, and there is almost always one
or two points which resonate with a lot of students.The examiners get
tired of having to repeat themselves on where students are going wrong, so here
are the top three key themes
from the latest SCS report so you do not make the same mistakes
as past students:1. Don't forget
ethics!!An
early point made in the report was about ethical principles:
“There were
several weak areas in which candidates struggled. For example, ethics; many
candidates could not name the ethical principles, apply them or even recognise
an ethical issue".Ethics is a topic
often overlooked by students, do not make this mistake! Many of the questions
will allow you the opportunity to bring in ethical issues and corportate
responsibility, if you do not study this beforehand you may not be able to
recognise this in the question and you certainly will be less likely to pass the
exam!

2. Stick to the
question!This is a point that we
have raised on numerous occasions, and it is one which the examiners
also frustrated by: “The main problems were
candidates failing to address the specific task requirements and writing
everything they knew on the topic being asked about". Knowledge is important,
but how you use the knowledge is what's crucial. You should NOT
be wasting your limited time on rattling off information that is not applicable
to the question, make sure your answer is focused and you always refer back to
what you are being asked to do. 3. Know the
Pre-seenIt's simple. But comes up
far too often the examiner's report:“Some
candidates, however, did not demonstrate much knowledge of the pre-seen material
which was surprising; it was as if candidates did not realise it was important".The pre-seen should be
known by the time you get to the exam. It is extremely important you always
refer back to it and a better knowledge of it will make you far more confident
when tackling the un-seen document. The examiner's are less than impressed when
the pre-seen has not been used effectively in the exam, it is clear that
knowledge of the industry is what gives you a better chance of
passing.As already you may have gathered, it
is VITAL that you look at what the examiners have found in
previous sittings as you can then ensure you have considered these issues before
your own exam.